TechDrawAI
Workflow · 2026
Pairs withSolidWorks logoSolidWorks

TechDraw AI
+ SolidWorks

They aren't competitors. They're two ends of one pipeline. TechDraw AI turns a photo or a sketch into a dimensioned DXF. SolidWorks turns that DXF into a parametric 3D model and the drawings that document it. This is the exact handoff, click by click.

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Updated June 2026·Works with SolidWorks
Step in the jobTechDraw AISolidWorks
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
Dimensioned 2D drawing✓~
DXF / DWG export✓✓
Parametric 3D model✗✓
Assemblies & mates✗✓
Drawings, GD&T & simulation✗✓

Why pair TechDraw AI with SolidWorks?

SolidWorks is a brilliant modeller and a useless scanner. It has no idea what the part in your spares drawer actually measures. TechDraw AI does the measuring and the drawing; SolidWorks does everything that comes after.

Step one

From a photo to a dimensioned drawing

Upload a photo of the part, anchor one real measurement, and get back a clean, dimensioned drawing you can export as DXF.

PhotoPhoto of a machined flange part on a workbench
DrawingDimensioned technical drawing generated by TechDraw AI
Step two

Then extrude or revolve in SolidWorks

The Import Wizard brings the DXF in as an editable sketch. Extrude the prismatic parts, revolve the round ones, and you have a parametric 3D model without redrawing a single line.

A machined aluminium bracket modelled in SolidWorks
SolidWorksSolidWorks
The bridge

One clean DXF connects the two

The DXF is the seam between the tools. TechDraw AI exports it scaled to your measured reference, so SolidWorks reads real-size geometry. No guessing, no rescaling. If your part is flat, the DXF is already the production file.

Dimensioned shaft drawing exported as DXF
Exports SolidWorks reads
DXF, the sketch you extrude or revolve
DWG, the same geometry, AutoCAD-native
SVG for a clean vector handoff
PDF, the spec to keep open beside SolidWorks
Opens inSolidWorksSolidWorksAutoCADInventorFusion 360FreeCADLibreCAD
An undocumented machined part with no drawing
The part in your hand
A caliper measuring a machined part
One real measurement
A dimensioned technical drawing of a shaft
Dimensioned drawing
A turned flange modelled in SolidWorks
3D model in SolidWorks
Import Wizard
DXF to a SolidWorks sketch
Photo → 3D
skip the manual tracing
DXF · DWG
SolidWorks reads it natively
2 features
extrude or revolve
What are you trying to do?
Reverse engineer a part

Photograph a discontinued part, get the DXF, extrude or revolve it in SolidWorks, then redesign or detail it. No original model needed.

Field photo to design change

A part fails on site, someone snaps a photo, and an engineer has a SolidWorks model to modify the same afternoon.

Fast 2D to the cutter

For laser, waterjet or router work the DXF often goes straight to the machine; SolidWorks just confirms and details the geometry.

Concept from a prompt

Generate a first 2D concept from a text description, import it, and pressure-test the geometry in SolidWorks before committing.

Who does what

Division of labour, not redundancy. Each tool owns the half of the job it's actually good at.

Step in the jobTechDraw AISolidWorks
Capture from a photo✓✗
Real measured dimensions✓~
Dimensioned 2D drawing✓~
DXF / DWG export✓✓
Parametric 3D model✗✓
Assemblies & mates✗✓
Drawings, GD&T & simulation✗✓
Best atPhoto → drawingDrawing → 3D
What each tool hands you
TechDraw AI
Dimensioned 2D drawing
One measured reference dimension
Closed vector profile
DXF, DWG, SVG, PDF export
SolidWorks
Parametric 3D model
Editable sketch relations
Assemblies, mates & motion
Drawings, GD&T & simulation

See it for yourself

Drop in a photo of a part. You'll get a dimensioned drawing and a clean DXF, ready for the SolidWorks Import Wizard. No account needed to start.

Convert an image to DXF
Section 01

The five-step handoff

Once you've exported the drawing from TechDraw AI as a DXF, the import into SolidWorks is short. If your part is flat, like a gasket, bracket or laser plate, the DXF is the production file and you can stop after step 2.

From DXF to a 3D body
1
Open the DXFFile › Open, pick the DXF from TechDraw AI
→
2
Import as a sketchWizard: 'Import to a new part as a 2D sketch'
→
3
Confirm unitsSet mm vs inch so it isn't rescaled
→
4
Repair the sketchRepair Sketch closes gaps, drops duplicates
→
5
Extrude / revolveExtruded or Revolved Boss/Base → solid body
A sheet-metal enclosure modelled from an imported profile in SolidWorks
The imported profile, built into a sheet-metal part in SolidWorks.
A shaft-and-bearing assembly in SolidWorks
From there: assemblies, mates and drawings.
Verdict

The seam is a DXF. Mind your units, layers and closed loopsand it's a seam you barely notice. Geometry in, parametric model out.

Section 02

Extrude vs. revolve

The DXF is always a flat 2D profile. How you give it depth depends on the part.

A prismatic plate, extruded from a flat profile
Prismatic parts → Extruded Boss/Base
  • Brackets, plates, housings, constant cross-section
  • Select the closed contour, extrude to thickness
  • Closed cut-outs become pockets with Extruded Cut
  • Convert Entities pulls the DXF into a fresh sketch
A round part being turned on a lathe, revolved from a half-section
Turned parts → Revolved Boss/Base
  • Shafts, bushings, pulleys, anything round
  • Keep just the half-section profile
  • Add a centerline as the axis, revolve 360°
  • Revolved Cut handles grooves and reliefs
Section 03

Three gotchas that break the import

Almost every “my DXF won't extrude” thread comes down to one of these. Knowing them up front saves the ten minutes.

1. Open profiles won't extrude.Extruded Boss/Base needs a closed contour. If the Contour Select Tool won't pick a region, two endpoints that look joined aren't. Run Tools › Sketch Tools › Repair Sketch to find and close them. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs.
2. Wrong units scale the part.A DXF carries no guaranteed unit. If a 50 mm part arrives 25.4× too big, the Import Wizard read it as inches. Set the document units in the wizard to match the drawing.
3. Imported entities arrive “dumb”. Geometry comes in with no sketch relations, and the dimension text comes in as annotation, not as driving dimensions. Export a geometry-only DXF for the modelling sketch and keep the dimensioned one open as your spec.

Cleanest habit: from TechDraw AI, export one DXF of just the profile geometry for modelling, and keep the full dimensioned drawing (or a PDF) open beside SolidWorks as your spec. The model gets clean lines; you keep the numbers in view.

Section 04

Where this combo earns its keep

Best tool for each step of these jobs
JobTechDraw AISolidWorks
Capture an undocumented part
Dimension it to real size
Build the 3D model
Redesign / modify
Detail drawing & GD&T
Who leads where
Capture & dimensioningTechDraw AI
2D drawing & DXF exportTechDraw AI
3D modellingSolidWorks
Assemblies & detailingSolidWorks
The full pipelineBoth, together
More

Other CAD workflows

TechDraw AI hands a clean, dimensioned DXF to whatever you model in. Here's the same photo-to-3D handoff written up for other CAD tools.

All CAD workflows →

The full hub: every TechDraw AI photo-to-DXF pairing in one place.

TechDraw AI + Fusion 360

Insert the DXF into a Fusion sketch, then extrude or revolve it into a parametric model.

TechDraw AI + Onshape

Import the DXF, Use the curves in a Part Studio and model it in the browser.

TechDraw AI + Shapr3D

Import the DXF onto a sketch plane, then Push/Pull or revolve it on iPad or Mac.

TechDraw AI + FreeCAD

Import the DXF in the Draft workbench, convert it to a sketch, then Pad or Revolve it — free.

TechDraw AI + Inventor

Import the DXF into a sketch, extrude or revolve it, then drive a production drawing and BOM.

TechDraw AI + SketchUp

Import the DXF in SketchUp Pro, explode it to edges, then Push/Pull or Follow Me into a model.

TechDraw AI + Tinkercad

Export as SVG, import it into Tinkercad in the browser, and extrude it into a printable solid.

TechDraw AI + Blender

Import the DXF or SVG as a curve, convert to mesh, then Solidify or Screw it — free.

TechDraw AI + Rhino

Import the DXF as exact curves, Join them, then ExtrudeCrv or Revolve into NURBS surfaces.

Start at the part, end at the 3D model

Generate the dimensioned DXF in minutes, then take it into SolidWorks. No tracing, no blank canvas. Free to start, no account needed.

DWG vs. DXF: which to send

Frequently asked questions

Does TechDraw AI replace SolidWorks?

Not at all. They solve different halves of the job. TechDraw AI gets you from a physical part or an idea to a dimensioned 2D drawing and a clean DXF in minutes. SolidWorks is where that DXF becomes a parametric 3D model, an assembly, a detailed drawing or a simulation.

How do I open a TechDraw AI drawing in SolidWorks?

Export the drawing as DXF from TechDraw AI, then in SolidWorks choose File › Open and select the DXF. The DXF/DWG Import Wizard opens: pick 'Import to a new part as a 2D sketch', set the units, and finish. The geometry lands as a sketch you can extrude, revolve, detail or use as a cut profile.

Why won't my imported DXF extrude in SolidWorks?

Extruded Boss/Base needs a closed contour. If the Contour Select Tool won't pick a region, two endpoints that look joined aren't. Run Tools › Sketch Tools › Repair Sketch to find the gaps and remove duplicate or overlapping entities. A clean export from TechDraw AI is already closed, so this mostly bites hand-traced DXFs.

Do I lose the dimensions when I import the DXF?

The dimension text comes in on its own layer as sketch text and annotation, not as driving dimensions, and that holds for any DXF in any CAD package. Keep that layer for reference and re-apply the Smart Dimensions you care about as SolidWorks sketch relations.

Does this work for turned (round) parts too?

Yes. For a shaft, bushing or any part with an axis of revolution, import the DXF profile, keep just the half-section, add a centerline as the axis, and use Revolved Boss/Base instead of Extruded Boss/Base.